we begin this morning with a new effort to avoid the fiscal cliff. it's an 11th-hour attempt to reach a deal. but lawmakers are not optimistic. >> wendy gillette is here with the latest. good morning, wendy. >> reporter: good morning, president obama will meet be lawmakers this afternoon. time is running out with no deal in sight. president obama will meet with congressional leaders later today at the white house. but it may be too late for a deal. there's just four days left before the fiscal cliff deadline. >> i have to be very honest, mr. president. i don't know, time-wise, how it can happen now. >> reporter: senate majority leader, harry reid, lashed out at house speaker, john boehner, accusing him of running a dictatorship. >> john boehner seems to care more about his leadership than keeping the country on a secure footing. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. that wouldn't be fair to the american people. >> reporter: president obama